North America

Alaska Air said that it expects to earn a profit at the lower end of its forecast due to high fuel prices and operational challenges. Fuel prices have risen due to refinery shutdowns on the U.S. West Coast. Alaska expects to spend up to $2.55 a gallon, compared to its previous projections of around $2.45. Alaska also highlighted weather and air traffic management issues that are driving costs up, such as compensation for passengers and crew overtime expenses. Storms and an overstretched air traffic control system have led to costly disruptions in the U.S. aviation industry this year. Alaska also...

Southwest Airlines announced on Friday that it would require its passengers to remove the lithium batteries from their powered wheelchairs or scooters prior to boarding. The airline cited fire hazards as a reason. Southwest will introduce new lithium battery size limits in January. The new rules go into effect on September 25. The Federal Aviation Administration sent out a safety warning to airlines on Tuesday about the risks of lithium batteries inside aircraft passenger compartments. "Lithium battery fires and smoke incidents are becoming more common on airplanes." Southwest stated in an employee note that while these incidents are rare, visibility...

Kyodo reported that two people were injured in a minor way after United Airlines Flight 32, which was headed to Cebu (Philippines), made an emergency landing in Osaka, a city in western Japan. NHK reported that a Boeing 737 from Narita Airport, near Tokyo, made an emergency landing after 7 p.m. (1000 GMT), after a cargo-fire indicator had activated over the Pacific Ocean. Kyodo reported that 142 passengers and crew members evacuated the aircraft by using emergency slides. The Kansai Airport, local police, fire departments, United Airlines and the Transport Ministry could not be reached by phone after normal business...

JetBlue Airways announced on Thursday that it was confident in its transatlantic strategy, and is working to connect as many passengers as possible with Atlantic Gateways. The New York-based carrier has reorganized its network in order to focus on routes that are more profitable. The carrier will expand its service to Southern Florida, and also focus on transiting more U.S. premium travelers to gateway cities such as New York and Boston before continuing to Europe. JetBlue's President Marty St. George said at a Morgan Stanley Conference: "This balance of good sun market in the winter, and then European markets during...

Wall Street's major indexes closed at record highs on Thursday, thanks to gains by Tesla and Micron Technology. Meanwhile, U.S. data on inflation and unemployment fueled expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut this month. The U.S. consumer price index rose faster than expected in August, and the inflation rate was higher than it has been in the past seven months. Separately, the initial claims for unemployment benefits for the week ending September 6 reached 263,000. This is a four-year high. "Inflation is sticky. Whether you call it stagflation, or not, different people define it differently. Atsi Sheth is the...

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan stated on Thursday that the company was looking into long-haul flights internationally and premium airport lounges to help it turn around. Jordan said that while the company would have to consider a wide body aircraft for international long-haul service, they could first choose a narrow-body to serve these routes. After the COVID-19 epidemic, the Dallas-based carrier has struggled to find its feet. It operates mostly domestic flights using a Boeing 737 fleet. The carrier's low earnings have increased pressure on it to change its business model. It now charges for checked baggage, ending the free...

According to Senate records, President Donald Trump has nominated an American Airlines captain and safety official for the National Transportation Safety Board. John DeLeeuw is the managing director for safety and efficiency at American Airlines, and a Boeing 777 captain. He has been appointed to replace Alvin Brown, a former appointee from the Biden administration, who was fired by the White House last May. The NTSB is responsible for investigating all major highway, rail, marine, and aviation accidents. The NTSB determines the probable causes of accidents and provides safety recommendations. If confirmed, John will be a great addition to the...

Sviatlana khanouskaya, an exiled Belarusian leader of the opposition, said that a easing of U.S. restrictions on Belarusian airline Belavia would also be beneficial to Russia. Tsikhanouskaya's comments were made in a press release released by her chief advisor after the U.S. announced that sanctions would be relaxed following the release by the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko of 52 prisoners. "We appreciate the humanitarian goal -- to release people. "We welcome their release but, in essence, it is a trade of human lives - people who shouldn't have been imprisoned to begin with," Tsikhanouskaya stated. She said that the move...

Delta Air Lines reaffirmed Thursday its full-year earnings forecasts and current-quarter earning predictions, betting on sustained demand for travel in the U.S. The carrier has also increased the lower end its revenue forecast for the third quarter to September. It now expects growth of 2%-4% from its previous projection of 0%-4% growth. This buoyant mood is in stark contrast with earlier this year when many U.S. airlines issued gloomy predictions as President Donald Trump’s tariffs, budget cuts and other measures weighed on demand. In July, major airline executives expressed confidence that the industry would be able to increase airfares by...

Michael O'Leary, Chief Executive Officer of Ryanair Group, warned that the Russia-Ukraine conflict would continue to be a problem for European airlines in years to come. This warning came a day following Poland's shooting down of suspected Russian drones over its airspace. He said that the issue would continue to affect all European airlines and citizens over the next few years. O'Leary stated that safety issues were discussed in a meeting with the board of directors of the company following the incident of Wednesday. This was the first known instance of a NATO member firing shots during a war. He...

JetBlue Airways announced on Wednesday that it will expand its service out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This comes as U.S. carriers rush to increase service in key markets for bankrupt discount airline Spirit Airlines. JetBlue, based in New York, is offering nine nonstop routes across the United States and Latin America as well as the Caribbean. Rivals, such United Airlines and Frontier Group are also rushing to capitalize on Spirit Airlines' second bankruptcy filing within a year. JetBlue announced that it would offer 113 flights per day during the winter peak season to maintain its status as the airline offering...

Embraer announced on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with Avelo Airlines, a budget airline in the United States, for 50 firm orders of the Brazilian planemaker’s E195E2 jets and 50 purchase rights. This is the first U.S. contract for this plane. The announcement coincides with an important gathering of leaders in the aerospace industry. It also comes at a time when Brazil's planemaker, which is the third largest in the world, has been lobbying for the Trump administration to eliminate 10% tariffs while highlighting U.S. Airlines' reliance on regional jets. Embraer described last week the planned announcement of...

Union Pacific Corp CEO Jim Vena and U.S. president Donald Trump met in the Oval Office on Friday to discuss the railroad’s proposed $85billion buyout of Norfolk Southern Corp, according to the company. The company is seeking regulatory approval for the largest U.S. railway merger in decades. The announcement in July of a merger between two major U.S. railroad operators shocked a market that was already very concentrated. Under the Biden administration's aggressive antitrust policies, such a proposal was unthinkable. The White House didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Trump's backing could speed up the review process in...

Union Pacific Corp CEO Jim Vena and U.S. president Donald Trump met in the Oval Office on Friday to discuss the railroad’s proposed $85 Billion buyout of Norfolk Southern Corp. The company is awaiting regulatory approval as it waits for what could become the U.S. rail freight industry's largest consolidation in decades. White House support may accelerate the lengthy review despite opposition from competitors and concerns from shippers about reduced competition. The White House didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. If approved, the merger could transform the U.S. rail freight industry, creating the first coast to coast single-line...

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Mexico is planning to increase import tariffs on almost 1,500 products including cars, steel, textiles and appliances to protect the domestic industry and job opportunities, particularly from cheap Chinese goods. This comes amid wider trade talks with both the U.S. Oracle has signed an unprecedented $300 billion cloud computing contract with OpenAI to support massive AI expansion starting in 2027. This is one of the biggest tech contracts ever, and signals a high-stakes wager on ChatGPT’s continued...

The U.S. Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it had dismissed a lawsuit filed against Norfolk Southern, after the company agreed to give Amtrak passenger train "highest priority" in comparison to freight trains. In a press release, the Department of Transportation said that the settlement reached with Norfolk Southern Corp. and Norfolk Southern Railway Company resolved allegations that the transport firm delayed passenger trains along Amtrak’s Crescent Route from New York City to New Orleans in violation federal law. Norfolk Southern, which controls 1,140-miles of rail on the Crescent Route, dispatches all trains, including those it operates, along this segment....

A freight train crashed into a double decker passenger bus in central Mexico, killing 10 people and injuring at least 61 others. The train operator claimed that the double decker bus was trying to pass the moving train. Canadian Pacific Kansas City de Mexico, the railroad, sent condolences and urged drivers to obey road signs and stop at railroad crossings. Herradura de Plata, the bus operator in question, did not respond immediately to a comment request. First responders had cordoned off and photographed the scene. The bus's metal frame was badly dented as well as the front of its top...

A White House spokesman confirmed that Robert Primus was fired as a Surface Transportation Board member. He did not agree with the agenda of U.S. president Donald Trump, the spokesman added. White House spokesperson Kush Desai stated that Robert Primus was fired from his post because he did not agree with President Donald Trump's America First agenda. The Administration plans to nominate in a short time new members who are more qualified to the Surface Transportation Board. Trump is purging bureaucrats from agencies that are not in line with his agenda. The railway regulators are evaluating the proposed $85 billion...

Aurora Innovation and McLeod Software announced on Thursday that they will integrate their self-driving trucks platform into McLeod Software’s Transportation Management System in order to increase adoption. McLeod TMS and Aurora's API will integrate to allow customers to manage their autonomous shipments. Aurora's president, Ossa Fischer, said that by meeting customers where they already are with their TMS, it is easy to take advantage of the safety and efficiency advantages of autonomous trucks. As other autonomous trucking startup companies like Plus and Waabi try to capture the market, they are also developing their own technologies. McLeod is currently beta testing...

The U.S. Transportation Department announced Tuesday that it would withhold federal funds from California, Washington State, and New Mexico until they adopted English proficiency requirements for truck drivers. The Trump administration has taken several steps to address concerns regarding foreign truckers who don't speak English. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States would immediately suspend the issuance all worker visas for truck drivers. Trump signed in April an executive order that directed enforcement of a rule that requires commercial drivers to meet English proficiency requirements in the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the...

Australian data centre operator AirTrunk on Tuesday said it secured an A$16 billion ($10.40 billion) sustainability-linked refinancing for its Asia-Pacific operations. AirTrunk, in a website statement, said that this refinancing includes a S$2,25 billion green loan to build a data center in Singapore. This makes AirTrunk APAC's largest sustainable financier. AirTrunk, a hyperscale data center firm, announced that it had secured the support of 60 banks and financial institutions. This brings its total financing including operations in Japan to more than A$18 billion. The company, which was acquired by a Blackstone-led group for A$24 billion late last year, introduced a...

On Thursday, Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state announced that all visas for truck drivers would be suspended immediately. Rubio wrote in a blog post on X that "the increasing number of drivers from abroad operating large tractor-trailer truck on U.S. highways is putting American lives at risk and undermining the livelihoods of American trucks." The Trump administration has taken several steps to address concerns regarding foreign truck drivers that do not speak English. In April, Trump signed an executive directive requiring that commercial drivers in the U.S. meet English proficiency standards. Sean Duffy, the Transportation Secretary, announced earlier...

The company reported that a Union Pacific Railroad train derailed on Tuesday two miles east from Gordon, Texas. Emergency responders confirmed the cars had not leaked any liquids. Emergency responders from Palo Pinto County stated that the derailment is "being treated as HazMat." In a press release, the company stated that approximately 35 Union Pacific cars had derailed at around 2 pm CDT. The cause of the derailment outside Gordon was unclear. Gordon is a small town of about 460 people located approximately 95 miles (153 km) west of Dallas. The company didn't immediately respond to an inquiry about the...

The Financial Times reported that U.S. railroad customers groups had demanded that regulators block the merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern or impose onerous conditions. The report stated that seven associations of shippers expressed concerns about the proposed deal, stating it would increase the power of merged railroads to raise prices and reduce service standards. Union Pacific announced last month that it would purchase smaller rival Norfolk Southern for $85 billion. This will create the U.S.'s first coast-to-coast rail freight operator, and transform the movement of goods across the nation from grains to automobiles. According to the companies, it...